Incapable of Remembrance
by Working-On-Sanity
Summary: DISCONTINUED.


**INCAPABLE OF REMEMBRANCE  
**

_"I'll bring you back, Sasuke- even if I have to break every bone in your body!"_

**Summary: **_Sasuke has been absent from Konoha for over five years now- and all Naruto wants is to have him back. But his wish is granted in the strangest of ways- Sasuke has been brought back to Konoha under the influence of a Jutsu, the purpose of it being to destroy his memory from the time of meeting Orochimaru and everything after. But the consequence of the Jutsu is shocking- along with Sasuke's twelve-year-old mind, comes a de-maturing body. Sasuke is exactly the same as he was before the first Chunin Exams- a twelve-year-old, inside and out. His friends are all eighteen years old, and much more advanced than he is, leaving him the weakest of everyone he knows. His return isn't what Naruto had expected- instead of a re-kindled friendship, all that is present is a lasting loneliness and an ever-present feeling of self-consciousness._

* * *

**INTRODUCTION: Forever Bonded**

Though Naruto was not known for intelligence, he could easily remember important occurrences. Such as the near-destruction of Konoha by the former Akatsuki member Orochimaru, or when Squad Seven had received its first mission- a D-rank assignment, he recalled, which had been too easy, but nonetheless enjoyable.

But more than any other event that he had ever experienced, one had stuck dominate in his eighteen year old mind- the turning of his best friend, from the village of Konoha, to the land of Otokagure. That may not have been so terrible, in itself, but the reason Uchiha Sasuke had abandoned him as well as his friends was because of pride. His pride in his name, his lowered position of 'Uchiha', had driven him to such extremes, it was difficult to believe that Sasuke was still the boy who had so often led the Squad Seven Genin's way, stepping silently in front of them- an unspoken gesture of affection.

Though he had always denied it, Sasuke loved his teammates. Although he was the one who seemed better than anyone else, the lust of girls, the envy of boys, he was extremely hard to understand, emotion-wise. His situation of being an orphan was common in the Shinobi world- a realm of fighters, raised to battle for the protection of their land. It was very normal for children to be lacking parents, as conflict deaths- lives taken by the results of war- were all too usual in Konoha.

But Sasuke was a different case. He was so quiet, that many people were denied having ever heard his voice. He preferred solitude, and often became edgy when people ignored his discomfort at being forced to speak to another. He easily lost his temper with his acquaintances, all those vices among several others- but for all his undesirable traits, he had become someone's best friend.

It was strange that, after such an awkward while of being truly alone- one would believe that a friendship would be valued by the Uchiha- Sasuke would leave his closest friend _to die_, treading his own winding path that would, eventually as well as predictably, lead to his downfall.

_You're the one who'd always call me an idiot, Sasuke, _Naruto remembered, his lips curving in a soft smile. _But the biggest idiot isn't me- surprisingly. It's been you, the entire time._

_But I don't care what insult you've ever thrown at me, or whatever rude remark you've made about me- I just want you back. You'll always be the first friend I've ever made...that'll never change, no matter how much you want it to. _

_No matter how hard you wish that you'd never even spoken a word to me, never even set eyes on me, it will never change the fact that you are my first bond. My first and my closest friend._

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: Nostalgia**

"Naruto- Tsunade-sama would like to see you for a little while." Haruno Sakura's softly whispered words didn't, at the time, strike Uzumaki Naruto as unusual in any way- the Hokage often called him into her office in order to explain certain missions and such to him. So he didn't understand why his rosy-haired teammate appeared so lost- Sakura was often seen with a small smile stretching her pink lips. But now, her clover-green eyes were clouded, and no hint of a smile brightened her pixie-like features.

"_Ne_, Sakura-chan!" Naruto implored, a note of impatience creeping into his gravelly voice. "What's up? You look kind of upset, ya'kno'whut'I'mean? Did the old lady get onto you?" As always, Naruto was outspoken and blunt, and he had attempted to lighten the atmosphere by teasing- but Sakura was in no mood to listen to the blonde's endless idle conversation.

She turned, the heel of her sandal grating against the ground, and stamped down the sidewalk, her short skirt stretching over her thighs in protest to her extremely long and hurried strides.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto sighed after calling the distraught teenage girl's name, interlacing his fingers and clasping his hands behind his head. He really had no idea as to what could have been racing through Sakura's mind- _probably her romantic problems_, he mused. On many occasions, he had 'accidentally' eavesdropped on the explanation that the pink-haired girl had desperately spilled out to her best friend, Yamanaka Ino- the entire affair was nearly always about Sakura's 'lack of male attention.' Naruto thought that Sakura's situation was entirely unfair, as was her proclamation- _he_ sure gave her _his _attention! But apparently, his name was not present on Sakura's list of desired boys.

_But Sakura-chan couldn't be that upset over some guy_, the whiskered boy realized._ I can go after her later, though- if I don't get to the old lady's place right now, she's going to throttle me. _

He swallowed hard, lifting his fingers to the smooth bronze expanse of his neck, knowing that there was a mottled red ring blemishing the skin. Tsunade was certainly not above grabbing the collar of his jacket and shaking him until he lapsed into unconsciousness, he knew all too well.

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey! What's happening, Gran'ma?" Naruto casually fell back into the plush chair, a grin spreading across his face as he listened to the blonde woman's irritated growl. To further add to Tsunade's agitation, he leaned over and began to peel loose the Velcro strapping on his sandals, a loud crackling noise shattering the silence.

"Naruto, I'm sure that isn't necessary," the Hokage intervened, her golden eyebrow twitching as she held back her murderous desires. The pads of her fingers tingled in eagerness, her body tensing in preparation to attack. Naruto worked at her fraying nerves in a way that no one else was capable of, and even though she treasured the boy as a grandson, often times she felt as though she was more than ready to permanently maim him.

"Heh, sorry, Gran'ma," he apologized, though the woman could easily tell from the mischievous twinkle in his smile-narrowed cerulean eyes that he was obviously not regretful, not at all. In fact, from the light flush that was tinting his still-chubby cheeks, Tsunade was guessing that the blonde was still in the blueprint stages of yet another prank or action that would, no doubt, ignite anger in the calmest of souls.

"Now, Naruto-" the Hokage's tone was stern and rough, her gaze piercing as she glared the teenage boy into awkward quietness, "I want you to sit still while Kakashi-san explains something to you. I'm in no mood right now to have to tell you this," she muttered, her weariness evident in her voice.

A whirlwind of alarm spiraled madly through Naruto's midsection at Tsunade's gesture. He had never seen her looking so weak and groggy- how had he overlooked the brown bruise-like bags that tugged at the woman's lower eyelids? And how had he not noticed the way she slumped tiredly, her golden eyes dull instead of the normality of bright and shining?

He was suddenly remorseful of his purposely carried-out methods of annoyance, possibly for the first time in his life.

"Yo!"

The Jinchuriki turned in his seat at the new, very familiar voice- the sight of the man who had been his teacher for several years made his frown morph into a grin of greeting. Hatake Kakashi's one visible eye closed in what could only be a smile- his expression was hidden beneath the navy fabric mask that masked his facial features from view.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Naruto," Kakashi remarked, folding his arms airily over his chest. He chuckled warmly as Naruto gave a whine of protest to any session of reminiscing- "Kaka-sensei! Tell me what's going on!" he demanded, closing his eyes as he pursed his lips, blowing a long breath of air into his cheeks. The expression was overused, as Naruto had fallen into the habit of pouting whenever he became impatient or insulted, but the tightly closed eyes and round, whisker-marked cheeks still held a considerable amount of cuteness.

"Eh?" Kakashi raised a slender silver brow in questioning, and another round of gentle laughter sounded as the whites of Naruto's eyes swallowed the specks of blue. His indifferent act had received the desired result, as the blonde bounced from his seat, rambling about the fact that he was 'never told anything.'

"Whoa, _chibi_," the teacher held his hands up, palms outward, in a silent command for Naruto to settle down. "You're edgy- I assume Hokage-dono has prodded at your curiosity?" He cast a meaningful glance at Tsunade, who gave a wry smile in answer. Kakashi sighed, knowing that a curious, energetic Naruto was the most difficult being to explain an important matter to.

"But really, Sensei!" Naruto groaned, leaning forward and grabbing a fistful of the man's flak jacket, desperately clinging to the material. The silver-haired man calmly closed his nimble fingers over the blonde's slender wrists, pulling him, with some difficulty, from his jacket-vest.

"Now, now," he chided, "don't get yourself upset- you wouldn't want to become a nervous, sweaty wreck, would you?" Kakashi's attempt at reason only sparked another flame of confusion in Naruto's azure eyes.

"Since when has being a sweaty wreck mattered before?" he inquired, thoroughly irritated- not only was Tsunade's countenance strange, but Kakashi's attitude was peculiar, as well. And earlier, Sakura had been acting more than just slightly out of character. Had everyone been notified of an important matter, and had forgotten to inform him of it?

It suddenly occurred to him that the village could be under an attack, and he would never know, standing trapped inside of the Hokage's stuffy office. The tower could be set on fire, and they would never have the chance to escape.

The worry brought on by his unpleasant imaginings must have clouded his features, as he was reeled from his thoughts by Kakashi's ever-calm voice: "Naruto, come on to the Konoha Hospital with me, yes? I'll talk to you on the way." The teacher patted his shoulder comfortingly, and turned on his heel, the rubber sole of his sandal squeaking against the tile flooring,

"I'm behind you, Kaka-sensei!" Naruto skipped to the door, and on second thought, twisted around to peer at Tsunade. He lifted his hand, waving lightly, and closed the heavy oaken door behind him.

"See you, Gran'ma!"

Tsunade smiled faintly, tiredly closing her eyes, which had been stinging from dryness. The darkness was a relief, she was thankful to realize, and she was, on impulse, reminded of the fact that many people could forget problems completely when they fell into a state of deep sleep. Being a medical doctor herself, she knew much about the subject- but she was regretful that her troubles remained, plaguing her mind even in rest.

She hoped silently that Naruto, the boy she cared so much about, would not, even in this situation, ever feel the helplessness that she was experiencing now.

* * *

"_Ne_, what's going on, Sensei? What's been bothering Sakura-chan and Gran'ma? Is it something really awful? Is it a mission- oh! I know! There's this life-threatening mission, and they love me too much to send me on it, even though they know that I'm the only one who's strong enough to-"

Naruto's excited rambling was broken by Kakashi's exasperated sigh. The Jinchuriki was powerful, it was obvious to see that fact, but one of his few vices was, admittedly, a cocky view of himself. He knew he was further developed in the Shinobi Arts than most were, and he wasn't afraid to flaunt his strength, no matter now much his bragging words annoyed his acquaintances.

"Naruto, if you'll let me get a word in," Kakashi began pointedly, "I'll tell you what has been taking up a lot of the Hokage-dono's time for the past three days. But you have to stay quiet while I explain, and I don't want to hear you asking questions _until _I finish speaking. Clear?" He looked with authority down at the blonde, his slate-gray eye twinkling with an emotion that Naruto couldn't recognize, even though he _was_ experienced at reading one's feelings.

"As air," the teenager answered solemnly, expectantly raising his gaze as he awaited his teacher's reply.

"Well, just between Sakura, me, Hokage-dono, her assistant, and you," the silver-haired man lowered his voice, grateful that he at last had the blonde's undivided attention, "Sasuke is back in the village."

_Sasuke is back._

A sensation akin to what one might feel if they dove into a lake of water in the winter season flooded Naruto. He felt cold down to his fingertips, the digits numbing from the shock which Kakashi had just revealed- he couldn't move. His sandals felt pasted to the ground, his legs seeming too heavy to lift in order to take a step. The Jonin was several paces ahead of him, and didn't look back to watch the boy's reaction- Kakashi only listened to the sound of Naruto's panting breaths mingling with the crunching of gravel beneath his own feet.

_They brought...Sasuke back? B-But how? How could they have brought him back, after so many of us went after him and always failed? _Naruto made no attempt to choke back the swelling in his throat, and he only paid a small amount of attention to the stinging feeling that licked his cheeks in the form of a stunned flush of sudden excitement.

_It doesn't matter who brought him back right now- all I want is to see him! _Naruto was aware that the lump in his throat had grown, and the moisture in his eyes was gathering in small droplets that beaded on his lashes- at that particular moment, he didn't care if his teacher heard him crying, nor did he care that he was carrying out the role of a teenage girl, one who broke into sobs whenever something unbelievably _happy _occurred- because right then, he had never before experienced such a fleeting spark of joy.

He wasn't about to question Kakashi. He wasn't going to interrogate the older man, just to discover that he was being made the victim of a prank. He wasn't about to be encased in a swirl of red Kyubi Chakra, brought on by his anger at not being the one who had rescued the unwilling Sasuke. He didn't care how they had brought his best friend back to Konoha, neither did he care- the only thing that he desired was to see him.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his smooth palms- he wanted to peer into Sasuke's eyes, to search for any sign of regret for the betrayal he had committed against his village. He wanted to wrap his arms around the Uchiha's shoulders, then he wished to crash the toe of his sandal into Sasuke's stomach until blood drained from the corners of his lips.

It could be safely assumed that Naruto cherished his friendship, but was not too self-conscious as to belt the Shinobi in the gut several times, preferably with an audience. Anything to punish him, to make guilt prick his mind for what he had done- if that was possible.

Sometimes it seemed as though Sasuke never felt emotion.

But maybe, after more than five years of absence, there was a chance that the boy could have changed.

* * *

"Oh! N-Naruto-kun!" Shizune stammered, her dark eyes flashing with anxiety.

The medical Shinobi's status was honored- the assistant aid, as well as closest friend, to Tsunade of the Sanin. But despite the fact that she was protected by the same ANBU that had been ordered to guard the Hokage, Shizune was a nervous woman. Her eyes were constantly darting, as if searching for a malicious being who was enveloped in the shadows.

But as she gripped the edge of the clipboard tightly, her knuckles paling from the force, Naruto wondered if he had ever before, on his many visits to Tsunade's office, seen Shizune as nervous as she appeared then. For a moment, he was nearly positive that the nurse would slump to the tile floor in a daze of unconsciousness, as her face was specked by collected spheres of sweat, her skin the color of paper.

"Shizune-san? Do you need to sit down or something? You look sick, ya'kno'whut'I'mean?" Naruto frowned as Kakashi placed his gloved hand on his shoulder, gripping roughly enough to silence the oblivious blonde.

"I'm sorry, Shizune-san," the older man apologized courteously, guiding Naruto away from the desk that nestled in the corner. "Naruto-kun doesn't really comprehend the situation yet, I'm afraid," he murmured, ignoring the way the teenaged Jinchuriki craned his neck to peer backwards at him.

"I do too know what you're talking about!" he protested, his voice heating with annoyance. "I know that Sasuke is back, but what I _don't _get is why everyone is so upset about it! Absolutely _no one _is really glad that he's back, ya'kno'whut'I'mean?"

It was a true statement- Tsunade, Kakashi, Shizune, all had shown no sign of happiness or relief that Sasuke had returned. But what was most surprising was the fact that Sakura had been so distraught.

Naruto suddenly lifted his hand, poking his forefinger into his mouth to stifle his groan of unease- if Sakura was not happy about the comeback of the object of her affections, then possibly, something could be very wrong with the entire ordeal.

"Stop here, Naruto," Kakashi commanded softly, halting a mere distance of two feet away from the flimsy door, on the brass knob of which hung suspended a sign that had been hastily scrawled with the simple word 'Uchiha'. The sight of the sloppy red Japanese characters was capable of being, depending on the person, a welcome or a warning.

"Heh..." Naruto scraped his fingernail over the whisker-like birthmarks on his cheek in embarrassment, his eyes closing as he smiled. "It's been so long since I've actually seen him...I dreamed 'bout a lot of different ways we would meet again... but I never once thought that it would be with him in the hospital." For the first time, he felt a tug of discomfort stress his body, and a shudder made him grimace in confusion- he had never felt something like this before. It was almost as if something was quietly urging him to 'stay away'- but why should that be happening? Sasuke was his closest friend- Naruto still believed that there was a friendship between them, even through every battle that had taken place.

So why was he awkwardly standing just outside the room in which the rogue Shinobi had been placed in? Why was he nervously hesitating, after such a long, seemingly unbearable wait? The time apart was so close to being shattered as they reunited- Naruto could press his fingertips to Sasuke's and assure himself that they would never again be made to suffer through a war of wills again.

Without further thought, the blonde pushed his palm to the door, not wondering why such a thin, easily-destroyed material was being used in the room where Sasuke was held- if the raven desired to resist, he could easily drive his fist through the wood, blowing it to splinters of ruin. But that thought was not even near being dominant in Naruto's mind as he stepped inside the bleach-scented, blindingly-white room, the zipper on his orange jacket jingling with his rushed movement.

"Sasuke!" His reluctance vanished, and his worry dissipated along with any caution he had felt. He knelt beside the low, rumpled cot, the sudden odor of artificial fruit products causing him to realize that it had been such a length of time since he had smelled the sugary peach shampoo, that he had nearly forgotten the entire existence of it. He knew without questioning that, before being placed in the recovering area of the hospital, Sasuke had been given a bath, his dark hair washed in the creamy foam that Naruto relished the after-scent of.

"Sasuke!" he repeated, voice rising with eagerness.

"Na...Naruto?" The voice was high with confusion and riddled with unease, but even so retained its subtle melody. The figure that was enveloped in the many layers of crisp, unwrinkled white sheets shifted, a brief struggle following as he attempted to extricate himself from the disinterested tangles of fabric.

The navy quilted blanket slipped in a crumpled heap from the boy's shoulders as he pushed himself to a sitting position, revealing himself to the others in the vicinity- there was nothing that blocked the sight of him from neither Naruto nor Kakashi.

Glossy bangs were blemished by an abound of broken ends and draped his rounded cheeks, the tips of the ink-like locks brushing his collar- a slender neck was scarred by a Tomoe-shaped tattoo, which was startlingly black against the silken white skin. The way the boy cocked his head in childish curiosity proved his puzzled state, his brow creased in blatant confusion. Awaiting any response- anticipating an explanation for why the instructor and Jinchuriki were in the room- the child let his slanted eyes squint in anxiety, not able to understand the reason why Naruto was kneeling next to his bed, his cheeks flushing from the effort of holding his tears captive.

Naruto never ventured to glance at Kakashi, who was silently observing the interaction from the doorway- in the stead of a nervous appeal to the teacher, the blonde lifted the gaze of his half-lidded, tear-filled eyes to stare deep into the ebony orbs of his first-made friend- Uchiha Sasuke, rogue Shinobi from the elite clan of Uchiha.

"Naruto? What's wrong with you- how come you're crying?" Spoiling to a surprising extent the merry reunion that had been expected, Sasuke's chapped lips curved in a pouting, heart-shaped smirk. Reaching out and sliding his fingers into Naruto's coarse lemonade-colored hair, the way a father would do for the purpose of flaunting his authority as well as irritating his son, the raven rubbed his fingertips into the whiskered teenager's scalp with a mockingly crooned-out, "It's okay to cry- if you're a scaredy-cat."

For the first time, Naruto's walnut-shaped eyes widened, pupils dilating in an emotion of undisguised horror. Those words- those short, biting words had been spoken to him once before. He remembered the sting of the insult clearly, all on account of the fact that he had been dealt the verbal blow by Sasuke a month before the Chunin Exams, which had grown to become one of the most recognized events in Konoha. The squad's students had all been twelve years old at the time of those particular Chunin Exams- the students of that certain squad being Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Even the gesture which accompanied the statement was a repeat of the time before- a swaggering, over-confident gaze from the dark eyes as Sasuke's slender white fingers threaded through his hair, the action rendering Naruto speechless from humiliation.

"I suppose you're finally realizing why we were hesitant to let you see him, aren't you, Naruto-kun?" At last stepping into the small room, closing the door soundlessly behind him, Kakashi paced toward the bed purposefully, but with an air of sympathy. His words were nothing resembling an 'I-told-you-so' whine, but rich with the paternal, fatherly tone that he so often used with his pupils.

"I don't! I don't know what's going on, Sensei- why is Sasuke here? More than that, though, why is he _twelve years old_?" Naruto appeared to be on the verge of breaking from the lack of understanding- he had no possible clue as to the behind-the-scenes activities that had led to this. Sasuke, instead of being older than Naruto, months past the age of eighteen, was the delicately-built, revenge-obsessed twelve year old that he had been so long before.

"What do you mean, 'why is he twelve years old'?" Sasuke interrupted, his demeaning repetition of Naruto's inquiry raising with a snarl, despite the question having been directed to Kakashi rather than he. "What do I look like to you, _dobe_- five? I worry that you're getting more stupid as every day passes," he informed haughtily.

"Sasuke-kun, that's enough," Kakashi cut short what had the possibility of becoming an argument with a quick arch of his thin silver eyebrow. "Naruto-kun and I are going to have a quick chat outside- stay in bed, don't get up for anything, and we'll be back in...fifteen minutes. Come along, Naruto-kun," the Jonin nodded in the direction of the closed door, and without a look behind, left the two younger boys to stare at the spot which, only seconds ago, he had occupied.

Void of any polite expressions of departure, Naruto lowered his head to hide his features from the raven, briskly following his teacher to the empty office at the end of the hall. He was struck by the realization that he loathed hospitals, what with the bright lights suspended from the equally-bright ceiling, the walls and floor all an unmarked white.

There were no framed photographs on the walls, neither were there any potted plants or flowers that could have brought blotches of color to the interior of the building. He had always enjoyed cultivating plants in his rare free time- it gave him a feeling of tenderness, because he knew that as long as the healthy greenery was under his ownership, whether they would survive or die was completely his responsibility. He loved being in charge of something, eagerly giving gentle care to even a small vine of ivy.

Had he been capable of perceiving the future, though, he would have been extremely surprised- yet somehow pleased- at the responsibilities that would be given him.

"Kaka-sensei?" Tentatively peering around the corner of the opening to the previously vacant office, he was motioned to come in by the silver-haired man, who had comfortably seated himself on the edge of the mucous-green sofa that had been shoved into the corner. The room, like most of the others, was small, but other than that, the resemblances ended. The doctor's office was carpeted, accented with a select few articles of furniture, and dimly-lit, overall smelling of mildew. The bridge of Naruto's nose crinkled as lowered himself onto the cushion beside Kakashi, crossing his legs and never sparing his instructor a glance.

"Naruto-kun..." A halting silence followed Kakashi's attempt at explanation, a thoughtful look clouding the visible portion of his face- the Jonin was carefully considering what he should say, and in what manner he should say it. The entire extremity of the subject of 'Sasuke' was a touchy object of conversation with Naruto, and, as well as Naruto not being boastfully intelligent, persay, how was he to go about explaining to the blonde what occurrence had taken place to cause the backwards aging of Sasuke?

It would not be simple, of course, but there was not another body in Konoha who was willing to have that burden pushed to his back. The greater percentage of the village knew that Naruto had not been gifted with ingenuity, and no one desired to show him, step-by-step, what Jutsu had been used and exactly how.

"Naruto-kun," he began once more, his shoulders raising as he exhaled deeply, "you just saw how Sasuke-kun is doing. He looks pretty much the same as he did when you knew him at the age of...twelve, was it you said?" A hesitant nod confirmed this, and he continued, "That was the after-effects of the Jutsu which Hokage-dono used to disable him in order to bring him back from Otokagure. You know about the Hokage's Jutsu, the one that enables her to appear so much younger than she really is, do you not?"

"Well...yeah, I guess so," the Jinchuriki murmured. "She doesn't really like to talk about it though, because she doesn't want anyone to know that it's a Jutsu- she doesn't want anyone to know that she's really an old hag."

"Eh, yes, I suppose. You've got the basic idea, though- but what was used on Sasuke-kun was an extended, more advanced version of the Jutsu, which was used alongside a memory-destructing technique. Hokage-dono was the one who brought him back, Naruto-kun- but even she had to bring along a team of twenty ANBU Black Ops to ensure her safety. Once they had him vulnerable, preoccupied with fending off the ANBU, she attacked with the 'Returning Youth Technique', which is the name of the combination of the two separate Jutsu."

Naruto's eyes were narrowed to slits, every ounce of his being absorbed in attempting to make sense of Kakashi's recollection. But as focused as he was on concentrating, none of this was simplified enough to his understanding.

"The way to use the Jutsu is easy, actually," the elder informed, realizing that his words were still much too complicated to make easy decoding of. "The more Chakra you thrust into the individual's mind, the more cells that store memory are destroyed. So...if you use twenty percent of your Chakra reserve, depending on the person using the Jutsu, anywhere from twelve months to three years can be erased. If you used fifty percent, you could wipe out seven years to even twelve."

A subtle look at Naruto proved that the blonde was desperately hoping that Sasuke had not been affected to such an extent as that- Kakashi hurriedly made to assure him:

"We weren't sure of how badly in particular that Sasuke-kun's mind was damaged, so by questioning him- him complaining the entire time, mind you- we were able to calculate that at his current state, he remembers nothing at all beyond the beginning of Squad Seven's first Chunin Exam. His mind is one of a twelve-year-old, and he has the figure to match. We weren't sure of how much, in his case, that he would de-mature- it wasn't even in our intentions at first for him to outwardly become the age his mind had fallen back into. But apparently, Hokage-dono is skilled at measuring the Jutsu to the precise mark- he doesn't really appear to be any older than eleven, actually."

Despite the somber atmosphere, a soft chuckle brushed past Kakashi's lips. "I never realized how little and cute my students used to be. Now that I think about it," he mused, lowering his hand so it hovered above Naruto's head, "weren't you always the shortest one, Naruto-kun? Sasuke-kun was the tallest out of you three, but now, compared to you, he looks so tiny. I don't know if it's just because that you're eighteen and he's hardly a teenager yet, or if it was because you two were just that short back then."

"It might feel nice to be able to smack the top of his head every once in awhile," Naruto admitted, but even through his teasing words, his rarely-used sulking tone was audible. "But it just seems so strange!" he confided quietly. "Sasuke's been gone for such a long time, and now he's back- and he doesn't remember anything that he did? He doesn't remember betraying the village? Wait- what about Orochimaru?" His demand startled Kakashi, who had not been expecting such a question.

"Orochimaru?" the elite Jonin repeated, and immediately, Naruto was able to notice that he was reluctant to answer. But Kakashi rarely, if at all, told a deceitful story, and thus, his honesty forced him to give a straight reply, no matter the consequence or hurt that could be inflicted.

"His only remembrance of Orochimaru was your encounter with him in the Forest of Death, where he placed the Cursed Seal on Sasuke-kun's neck. Of course, Sasuke-kun has been asking us questions about him, why had he attacked, and so forth- but the greatest concept that we took into consideration, when planning on his retrieval, was the seal. Using the 'Returning Youth' Jutsu, with his body literally going backwards in time, it seems that it de-activated the Cursed Seal due to the recession of his growth. So, with the absence of Orochimaru's Chakra in his body, Sasuke-kun won't experience any side-effects since the foreign Chakra will not be fading with time. So that being said, it means, overall, that Sasuke-kun will not have such an extreme craving for Orochimaru's power."

With a gentle sigh, he added, "And hopefully, that means that he will not be planning on leaving Konoha. But the point of everything, Naruto-kun, is this- we don't want to risk him leaving again. We don't want to expose him to anything that may stimulate a desire to turn to evil- and because of that, we are forced to put him under an adult's care. A qualified Shinobi adult who already possesses close ties with him. Any idea whom I'm speaking of?" he hinted, his voice thick with what could only be an amused smirk.

"You said qualified Shinobi adult- who possesses a close tie with Sasuke!" Naruto's cerulean eyes brightened as comprehension struck him. Kakashi thought of him as a qualified _adult_- enough so that he was entrusting him with Sasuke's well-being? So Kakashi had enough faith in his maturity to place Sasuke under his care- putting the boy in his apartment, always subject to his surveillance. Naruto would provide everything for Sasuke- and that, he knew, would be better than taking care of any plant.

* * *

**A/N:** _Believe it or not, I actually spent three days on this. And I'm not sick of it- yet. But I don't know if I made it clear enough what was going on- some things are intended to be fuzzy, as they will be revealed later, but I hope the readers know what's going on..._

_Thanks for reading! _


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